Alternative Spring Break

After my initial Spring Break plans fell through I decided I wanted to do something more with my vacation than just lie on a beach with my friends- I wanted to give back. I was a little skeptical of volunteering abroad at first because I was essentially paying to volunteer, a concept I had never heard of before, but I just decided to go with it and take a chance. Once I was in Costa Rica and saw where exactly my money was going to I was elated that I could donate my time and money to such a great cause. Projects Abroad is a wonderfully organized volunteer program. Every single member of staff that I met was amazing and I learned so much from them while I was there. I felt so welcomed and like I was genuinely needed at my placement.
The other spring breakers and I participated in the Care program and spent the week working at a daycare, doing odd jobs for them and playing with the kids. I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish in every day conversations; an opportunity that I never got in my American classrooms. The work was definitely physically hard and exhaustive at times but we still had time to go out to the bars and restaurants and even to the beach. The other girls in my placement were from all over the world and I feel more knowledgeable about other cultures simply from living and interacting with them for the week.
I would recommend Projects Abroad to anyone looking to volunteer in a foreign country- you learn so much about yourself and people in general that the experience is not to be missed! The only drawback is the price (it is quite pricey) but the money is used for such a great cause that this issue can be overlooked. My only regret is that I was not able to spend more time in Costa Rica.